BOOKS and AUTHORS and Books read during Peace Corps Service

This is my personal list of books I think everyone should read.

BOOKS:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This is my favorite book of all time. "It is a fable about following your dreams." It's short and quick, but everytime you read it you'll find something new. I quote it...
often. ... ps I am now reading it in Spanish.

"What's the world's greatest lie?... It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie." -pcoelho

Life of Pi by Yann Martel: My 2nd favorite book. The ultimate survival-at-sea-story, with an awesome twist. Starts in India, ends in Canada. Love the writing style. Short and quick and really fun! "A story that will make you believe in God". Also a book I often quote.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: A story of a girl who goes in search for her past... and finds a house of eccentric women, learns to be a beekeeper, and finds family and a power in herself she never knew existed.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: A memoir of a year of soul searching. She goes to Rome for four months in order to seek beauty - by learning Italian and eating the best food. She goes to India the next four months to cleanse her soul, learn to be still, and study at an Ashram. She ends her year with four months in Bali, Indonesia, learning how to be happy and find balance in her life.

Watership Down by Richard Adams: A favorite book from growing up. Also a survival story, told from the perspective of a bunch of rabbits... sounds hokey, I know, but it's awesome!

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: If you want to know what it's like to live in the Ozarks and you like books about boys and dogs and growing up, this is the book. THE book.

Caramba! by Nina Maria Martinez: Anyone who has every spoken Spanglish or been to Mexico should read this outrageous book that I keep picturing like Tarentino´s Deathproof.

Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer: A must read for anyone wishing to understand the contra wars in the 80´s, the Sandanista Front, and why Ortega is back in office.




AWESOME AUTHORS:

JK Rowling: Hello! HARRY POTTER!

Barbara Kingsover: Animal Dreams. The Bean Trees. The Poisonwood Bible. Prodigal Summer.

Bryce Courtenay: The Power of One. The Potato Factory. Matthew Flinders' Cat.

Brian Jacques: The Redwood novels.

DJ MacHale: The Pendragon novels.

Anne Rice: Interview with a Vampire. The Witching Hour.

John Steinbeck: East of Eden. Cannery Row.


Books read during Peace Corps service:

...sept 08 - nov 09
1. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho
2. PS Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood
3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
4. The Alchemist / English Version by Paulo Coelho
5. Caramba! By Nina Marie Martinez
6 The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
7 The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
8 The Handbook of Homemade Power by the Mother Earth News
9 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
10 The Coronor's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
11 Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
12 Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
13 Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
14 Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
15 A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
16 Trespassing: My Sojourn Through the Halls of Priveledge by Gwendolyn Parker
17 ines of My Soul by isabel Allende
18 The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
19 The Firm by John Grisham
20 The Alchemist / Spanish Version by Paulo Coelho
21 Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer
22 Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
23 This One and Magic Life by Anne Carrol George
24 The Witch of Portabello by Paulo Coelho
25 Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
26 Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell
27 The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
28 Best American Travel Writing by Anthony Bourdain
29 Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
30 Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
31 Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
32 The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman
33 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
34 Animal Factory by Edward Bunker

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